DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University softball senior Courtney Mirabella has been named the NCCU Student-Athlete of the Month for July 2018 in recognition of her outstanding performance on the field and in the classroom.
 
Mirabella tallied 18 wins with a 1.66 ERA, 306 strikeouts, 10 shutouts and a .194 opponent batting average in her final collegiate season. All of those numbers were tops in the MEAC and are new NCCU Division I era records (since 2007-08). Her 306 strikeouts are an all-time program record.
 
The Lady Eagles' team MVP was named All-MEAC First Team, NCCU Female Athlete of the Year and NCCSIA All-State for her record-setting campaign.
 
Mirabella signed a professional contract to play with the Labadini Collecchio club in the Italian Softball League shortly after concluding her collegiate career with the Lady Eagles in May. She immediately made an impact for Collecchio with a complete-game victory in her first start, which featured 12 strikeouts. As of Sept. 2, Mirabella is 5-5 with two shutouts a 1.38 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 56 innings pitched (all team-best totals).
 
The Bradenton, Florida, product is batting .245 with 10 RBI in 16 games for a Collecchio squad that is 12-12 on the season.
 
Highlights of Mirabella's season at NCCU included fanning 20 batters in a 4-0 win against University of Maryland Eastern Shore and tossing a no-hitter in a 7-0 win against South Carolina State University.
 
Mirabella then posted three wins and a minuscule 1.06 ERA over the course of five postseason games. She held opponents of a .188 average while piling up 32 strikeouts over 33 innings of work on her way to earning MEAC All-Tournament honors as NCCU finished third in the postseason tourney.
 
Mirabella was working towards a master's degree in recreation administration at NCCU before deciding to pursue playing professional softball this summer. She earned a bachelor's degree in sports management at North Carolina State University before attending NCCU. Mirabella may play for another professional softball team in New Zealand during the Italian League's offseason. Also, with proof of ancestry Mirabella could now be looked at by the Italian National Team with her outstanding play this summer.  
 
For a complete list of award winners, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.